Rotary pump and motor



April 9, 1963 B. T- FlTZPATRlCK 3,084,562

ROTARY PUMP AND MOTOR Filed Sept. 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

B. T. FITZPATRICK ROTARY PUMP AND MOTOR April 9, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 29, 1958 fidezfor:

My invention relates to rotary pumps and motors wherein reciprocal piston action is employed, having means for regulating and for controlling the piston strokes therein, and thereby controlling the fluid flow passing through said apparatus when in use and operation.

An object of my invention is to provide a rotary type apparatus having a housing, wherein a rotatable cylinder block is mounted and provided with a set of reciprocally actuating pistons which are centripetally disposed in said cylinder block, also, having means for variably regulating and adjusting the position of said cylinder block, so that the piston strokes may be correspondingly regulated, and thereby providing a variable fluid flow when said apparatus is used as a pumping unit, or providing a variable power when said apparatus is employed as a motor or prime mover.

A further object of my invention is to provide said apparatus with a suitable center adjusting means for said cylinder block which is actuated by means of a set of suitably positioned eccentric bushings, and wherein the position and the rotation of which being controlled by suitable gearing means, also, having a suitable power unit for actuating said gearing means, thereby providing a variable piston stroke in said cylinder block when said apparatus is in operation and for securing a variable fluid flow therethrough.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

Reference is now had to the accompanying drawings, in which the similar reference characters denote the same parts.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the rotary type apparatus, disclosing my invention, taken on lines 11 of the FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a partly elevational and partly vertically sectional view of the apparatus, taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a vertically elevational view of the apparatus, taken from the right of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 4a are vertical sectional views of the eccentric driving unit, taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and showing the variable control means at its on-center and extreme off-center positions, respectively.

FIG. 5 shows a fragmentary and horizontally sectional View of the driving unit, taken on the staggered line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a fragmentary and slightly enlarged vertically sectional view of the cylinder shaft, and the nifcenter supporting plunger, which is similar in position as shown in FIG. 2 disclosing fluid passages in detail.

BIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the cylinder shaft, showing same in mounted position, taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 4.

Describing my invention more in detail, in its broader aspects, said invention comprises an apparatus having a housing member 2 provided with a front cover 4 and a rear cover 6 which are held in mounted position by means of suitable fastening members or screws 8,

Said rear cover 6 is provided with a suitable bearing journal 18 wherein a shaft 12 is mounted, the outer end Patented Apr. 9, 1963 ice 2 section of which being provided with a flanged coupling 14-, While the internally-positioned shaft end is provided with a fly wheel member 16 which is rotatably disposed within said housing member 2, as shown.

A frontwardly extending rim 18'is provided in said fly wheel member 16, wherein a set of connecting rod pins 20 are mounted for holding suitable. connecting rods 22 in place, each connecting rod extending centripetally toward the center and having a piston member 24 connected thereto and slidably disposed within their respective cylinder barrels 26 provided in a cylinder block member 28, as shown in FIG. 2.

A frontwardly extending rim 18 is provided in said fly wheel member 1.6, wherein a setof connecting rod pins 29 are mounted for holding suitable connecting rods 22 in place, each connecting rod extending centripetally toward the center and having a piston member 24 connected thereto and slidably disposed within their respective cylinder barrels 26 provided in a cylinder block member 28, as shown in FIG. 2.

Said cylinder block 28 is revolubly mounted upon a suitable cylinder block shaft 38, said shaft having a pair of side passages 32 and 34, each of which having a frontwardly extending passage 36 and 38 respectively and adapted for connecting the respective fluid conduits or pipes 48 and 42, as shown in FIG; 3.

Each of said cylinder barrels 26 is provided with a connecting passage 44, which is disposed in juxtaposition to said side passages-32 and 34 of said cylinder block shaft 30, also, said shaft 38 is provided with a suitable seal or packing 46, see FIG. 6, which is supported in place by means of a lock nut 48.

The opposite side of said passages 32 and 34 of said shaft member 30 is provided with an inner seal or packing 50 against which a front fluid passage ring 52 is mounted, having a retaining seal or packing 54 disposed against an outer fiuid passage ring 56, which is held in place by means of a plate 58 and supported in position by a bearing member 68 and also locked in place and position by means of a suitable lock ring member 62.

Said front fluid passage ring 52 is positioned over a fluid connecting passage 64 disposed in said shaft member 30 and extending frontwardly for connecting with a suitable pipe connection 68, also, said ring 52 interconnects with a hole or passage7tl disposed in said cylinder block 28, which leads to a plun er cylinder of the off-center supporting plunger member 72, the purpose of which will be presently described.

The outer fluid passage ring 56 is positioned over a hole or passage 74 which is alsoidisposed in said shaft 30, the location of which being diametrically opposite to said passage 64, which extends frontwardly and conmeets with a suitable pipe connection 76, also, said passage ring 56 interconnects with a hole or passage 78 disposed in said cylinder block 28 and leading to the opposite end of the cylinder of said supporting plunger member 72.

Said off-center controlling plunger 72 is provided with a pointed tip 80 which is adapted to bear upon the surface of a conical bushing 82, said bushing 82 being disposed at the inner surface of: said fly wheel 16 and in juxtaposition of said cylinder block 28.

Said plunger 72 is slidably mounted in said cylinder block 28 and is also provided with a suitable piston disc member 84 which is slidably mounted within a cylinder 86, said cylinder 86 being enclosed by means of a suitable cap member 88 which is provided with suitable fluid connecting passages 90.

The fluid under pressure and passing through said passage 70 into said cylinder 86, causes the piston disc member 84 to retract its position, aS shown-in FIGS. 2 and 6,

thus causing the pointed tip 80 of said plunger 72 to engage the outermost rim of said conical bushing 82 and thereby supporting said cylinder block 28 in its uppermost position, and, when the fluid under pressure is forced through the passage 78 passing into said cap member 88, then the fluid passing through the passage 90 causes the piston disc 84 to move in an opposite direction, so that when said pointed tip 80 reaches the center section of said conical bushing 82, said cylinder block 28 reaches the centrally neutral position, at which time there is no reciprocal action imparted to said piston members 24.

It may be noted, that the number of said plungers 72 and said conical bushings in the apparatus, correspond with the number of the piston members 24 in said cylinder block 23, and that the frontward or the retracted movement of said plungers 72 is made in unison with the off-center or into-center movement of said cylinder shaft 30, when actuated by auxiliary motor 92.

The variable control of said cylinder block 28 together with said cylinder shaft 30, which may be from the center to any of the off-center positions, is accomplished by the action of a pair of inner and outer eccentric members 110 and 112 which engage, respectively, the inner and outer faces of an interposed ring 94, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 4a and 5, the construction and operation of which control will be presently described.

Said auxiliary motor 92 is reversible in its rotation and operation, and is mounted upon the outer section of said front cover 4, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, having a drive shaft 96 extending upwardly and passing internally of said cover, also said shaft having the internally extending end provided with a suitable worm member 98 keyed thereto and slidably mounted thereon and which is held in mesh with a suitable worm gear 100 and supported in place by means of a suitable end bracket member 102 having bearing engagement with said shaft at each end of said worm member.

Said worm gear 100 is mounted upon a cross shaft 101 also journaled in said bracket member 102 and has a pair of spur gears 104, 104 disposed one each at each side of said bracket.

Secured by screws 120 on the inner face of the front cover 4 and disposed in coaxial relation to the axial line of the shaft 12 is a mounting ring 118 provided on its inner face with recesses for the outer races of spaced ball bearing assemblies 116, 116, the inner races of which are seated in complementary recesses in the outer periphery of the outer eccentric member 112. The inner eccentric member 110 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 30 and on its outer face is provided with laterally spaced peripheral recesses in which the inner races of ball bearing assemblies 111, 111 are seated, the outer races of said ball bearing assemblies being seated in complementary recesses on the inner face of the ring 94. The ring 94 has coaxially disposed inner and outer faces and further has a slot extending therethrough between the inner and outer faces aifording clearance for the bracket 102, the upper end of the shaft 96, the worm 98, the worm wheel 100 and the gears 104, 104 and the shaft 101 projects beyond said gears and the ends thereof are journaled in the ring 94 at opposite sides of the said clearance slot as best shown in FIG. 8.

The outer periphery of the inner eccentric 110 for a portion of its length of substantially less than 180 in extent is provided with spaced parallel sectoral sets of gear teeth 106, 106 which mesh with the gears 104, 104; the bearing engagement provided by the bearings 111 serving to maintain the proper meshing engagement between the thus inter-meshed gears and it will be noted that the inner eccentric member has a recess formed therein between said sectoral gears 106, 106 affording clearance for the worm gear 100.

The outer eccentric 112, likewise, is provided with a pair of sectoral gear portions on the inner periphery thereof which are also of less than a half circle in extent, and the remainder of the inner face of said outer eccentric has rotary bearing engagement on the outer face of the ring '94 thus holding the sectoral gears 108, 108 in proper meshing engagement with the gear 104, 104 and said outer eccentric is further provided with a slot extending therethrough from the outer to the inner periphery thereof affording clearance for the shaft 96, the worm and the bracket 102 as the eccentric is caused to move in the manner hereinafter to be described.

Said cylinder shaft 30, at its frontward end, is provided with a pair of suitable guide ways 122, which are adapted for engaging a pair of guide members 124 disposed at the outer boss 126 of said front cover 4, and thereby preventing said cylinder shaft 30 from turning having only a sliding movement from its center into an off-center position, as shown in FIG. 2.

When said cylinder shaft 30 remains in the center, such position causes said cylinder block 28 to neutralize the reciprocal action of said piston member 24 during the rotation of said fly wheel member 16 and said cylinder block 28, also, the hydraulically actuated supporting plungers 72 are forced outwardly, causing their pointed tips 80 to rest within said center section of said conical bushings 82.

As above noted, when the axis of the shaft 30 is coincident with the axial line of the shaft 12 and the flywheel mounted thereon, the pistons 24 partake of no relative movement in their respective cylinders. That position is shown in FIG. 4a. When it is desired to cause the device to operate as a pump or a motor, the motor 92 is actuated to cause the worm to drive the worm gear in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 4a. This causes the gears 104, 104 to shift the outer eccentric 112 in a counterclockwise direction and simultaneously move the inner eccentric in a clockwise direction bringing the high points of the eccentrics to the under side of the shaft 30 as viewed in said figure and therefore shifting said shaft 30 upwardly as viewed in those figures. This, of course, causes relative upward movement of the ring 94 to the extent of the change effected by the said movement of the outer eccentric 112 and since the shaft 101 carrying said gears is journaled in said ring at the opposite sides of the slot therein, said shaft will carry the worm gear 100, the bracket 102 and the worm 98 with it; said worm 98 having a splined engagement with the end of the shaft 96. This will result in the pistons having reciprocatory movement in their cylinder bores as the flywheel and cylinder block are rotated. It will, of course, be under stood that the above described control may be moved to any desired intermediate position between the extreme positions of control illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 4a.

When said cylinder block 28 is in an off-center position, said supporting plungers 72 are simultaneously actuated, causing the pointed tips 80 to rest against the conical wall of said conical bushings 82, and thereby maintaining a position and a synchronized rotation of said cylinder block 28 and said fly wheel member 16' when in motion.

It may be noted, that the operation of said auxiliary motor 92 and said eccentric members 94 together with the supporting plungers 72 when operated in synchronism, a variable off-center position of said cylinder block 28 may be had.

Therefore, when forcing a fluid into the pipe 40, said fluid passing through the fluid passage 36 and the side passage 32 and then through the cylinder connecting passages 44 into said cylinder barrels 26, said cylinder block 28 including said fly wheel 16 together with the shaft 12 will turn in a clock-wise direction, the discharge of the fluid being through the side passage 34 and then through the fluid passage 38 discharging through the pipe 42.

The rotation of said fly wheel 16 and said cylinder block 28 may be had in an opposite direction when the fluid flow passing through the apparatus is reversed, that is, when the pipe 42 is used for the intake and the pipe 40 is employed as a discharge pipe of the apparatus.

Then, when applying a power to said shaft 12 of the apparatus, thereby causing the fly wheel 16 together with said cylinder block 28 to turn, the relative rotative position of said fly wheel 16 and said cylinder block 28 being maintained in synchromism and supported by means of said plungers 72 and thereby causing a reciprocal action of said piston members 24, the apparatus will then operate as a pump, and the pipes 40 or 42 may be either an intake or discharge pipe, depending in which direction said cylinder block 28 is rotated, the variable position of said shaft 30 providing a variable piston stroke in said cylinder barrels, so that a variable quantity of fluid may be circulated through said apparatus when in operation.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a rotary, radial piston, variable displacement device optionally usable as a pump or motor, a fixed shaft, a cylinder block mounted for rotation on said shaft and having a plurality of uniformly circumferentially spaced radial cylinder bores extending from the outer periphery of said cylinder block to the hearing by which said cylinder block is mounted on said fixed shaft, a housing surrounding said cylinder block, a flywheel member within said housing and having a rim portion overhanging the outer periphery of said cylinder block, a shaft journaled in a bearing in said housing and carrying said flywheel, a plurality of pistons disposed one each in each of said cylinder bores in said cylinder block, a plurality of piston rods each having one end attached to one each of said pistons and having the opposite end thereof connected to said flywheel at equally circumferentially spaced points thereon for oscillatory movement about an axis parallel to the axis of said shaft on which said flywheel is mounted, means for conducting fluid through said fixed shaft to said cylinders as they pass through a predetermined segment of the circumference of said fixed shaft incident to rotation of said cylinder block thereon and other means for conducting fluid from said cylinders through said fixed shaft incident to rotation of said cylinder block through a diametrically opposite segment of the circumference of said fixed shaft, fluid pressure actuated means for causing said cylinder block and said flywheel to rotate in unison, and means extending between said housing and said fixed shaft operable from the exterior of said housing to shift said fixed shaft and said cylinder block laterally toward and from a point at which the axis of said fixed shaft is coincident with the axial line of said shaft carrying said flywheel with resultant variation and the relative length of stroke of said pistons in said cylinder bores deriving from the offset of the axes of rotation of said flywheel and said cylinder block.

2. A rotary, radial piston device as claimed in claim 1 in which said flywheel and said cylinder block carry interengaging means for eifecting rotation in unison of said flywheel and said cylinder block and in which said portion of said means on said cylinder block means includes fluid pressure actuated devices automatically compensating for different extents of axial oifset of said cylinder block relative to said flywheel.

3. A rotary, radial piston device as claimed in claim 1 in which said means for shifting said fixed shaft and said cylinder block laterally includes a pair of nested eccentric members interposed between said housing and said fixed shaft and means for .simultaneously rotating said eccentrics relative to one another to move the high points thereof into or out of alignment.

4. A rotary, radial piston device as claimed in claim 3 in which said means for shifting said fixed shaft and said cylinder block laterally includes a ring of uniform radial dimension interposed between and having bearing engagement with said eccentrics and further having gear means engaging said eccentrics effective to cause said simultaneous rotative movement of said eccentrics relative to each other.

5. A rotary, radial piston device as claimed in claim 4 in which said gear means carried by said ring includes an operating shaft extending through said housing to the exterior of said housing and further includes a reversible motor for operating said shaft in a desired direction with resultant movement of said fixed shaft and said cylinder block toward and from the axial line of said shaft on which said flywheel is mounted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 794,257 Sinclair July 11, 1905 1,763,565 Parker June 10, 1930 1,878,862 Landenberger Sept. 20, 1932 1,956,447 Laessker Apr. 24, 1934 2,008,296 Soldon July 16, 1935 2,051,783 Dake Aug. 18, 1936 2,116,624 Garratt May 10, 1938 2,174,780 Dusevoir et al. Oct. 3, 1939 2,414,003 Thompson Jan. 7, 1947 2,419,059 De Villiers Apr. 15, 1947 2,568,357 Moulden Sept. 18, 1951 2,592,237 Bradley Apr. 8, 1952 

1. IN A ROTARY, RADIAL PISTON, VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT DEVICE OPTIONALLY USABLE AS A PUMP OR MOTOR, A FIXED SHAFT, A CYLINDER BLOCK MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RADIAL CYLINDER BORES EXTENDING FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID CYLINDER BLOCK TO THE BEARING BY WHICH SAID CYLINDER BLOCK IS MOUNTED ON SAID FIXED SHAFT, A HOUSING SURROUNDING SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, A FLYWHEEL MEMBER WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A RIM PORTION OVERHANGING THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, A SHAFT JOURNALED IN A BEARING IN SAID HOUSING AND CARRYING SAID FLYWHEEL, A PLURALITY OF PISTONS DISPOSED ONE EACH IN EACH OF SAID CYLINDER BORES IN SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, A PLURALITY OF PISTON RODS EACH HAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO ONE EACH OF SAID PISTONS AND HAVING THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF CONNECTED TO SAID FLYWHEEL AT EQUALLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POINTS THEREON FOR OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHAFT ON WHICH SAID FLYWHEEL IS MOUNTED, MEANS FOR CONDUCTING FLUID THROUGH SAID FIXED SHAFT TO SAID CYLINDERS AS THEY PASS THROUGH A PREDETERMINED SEGMENT OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID FIXED SHAFT INCIDENT TO ROTA- 